Here’s the thing about February

February flew! We celebrated 100 days of school, Valentines Day, and Dominican Independence Day. I played a lot of euchre, house sat with my favorite furry friends, and saw some whales! I also read a bunch of books and watched a lot of House on Netflix – I can’t enough of that crazy guy! This month I started work on draft 2 of The Nation, my very first novel which is coming at you this very summer!

If you’re not living in the Caribbean, you’re probably freezing your face off. Well, the best cure for a frozen face is a made-with-love Knit Pickety creation! Be sure to check out this Etsy Shop for adorable knit hats, scarfs, headbands, and cowls.

BLOG POSTS & ARTICLES //

Ash Wednesday 2015 at Medium – “Truth is, we are very badly broken and that’s the case whether it’s acknowledged in a prayer or not.” our world for all of its brokenness is the same world that God is putting back together. our world for all of its brokenness is the same world that God is putting back together. … So by all means remember that you’re dust, but don’t forget that dust is God’s favorite medium.”

The Problem With International Development – and a Plan to Fix It at New Republic – “Why Dertu doesn’t have a vaccination clinic, why Kenyan schoolkids can’t read, it’s a combination of culture, politics, history, laws, infrastructure, individuals—all of a society’s component parts, their harmony and their discord, working as one organism. Introducing something foreign into that system—millions in donor cash, dozens of trained personnel and equipment, U.N. Land Rovers—causes it to adapt in ways you can’t predict.”

Does my Life as a Parent Count? at Christianity Today – “This year, as I observe Lent, my hope is that I’ll be even more lovingly present to my family in the mundane, that those moments of pining away for something more exciting will become fewer and farther between.”

A Missionary’s Position on 50 Shades of Grey by Jamie the Very Worst Missionary – “First? The story in 50 Shades of Grey only “works” because Christian Grey is a hard-bodied Adonis with an insanely awesome penthouse, sleek cars, loads of cash, and, oh, a helicopter. If he was an ugly dude who worked at a gas station, rode a dirt bike, and invited a cute girl into a ‘play room’ full of torture devices in the back of his doublewide trailer, we would all be disgusted.”

‘Christian Cleavage’ Probably Isn’t the Problem at Relevant – “It’s really the same buck-passing argument that Adam tried to pull on God in the garden, ‘The woman you made me gave me the fruit and I ate.’ It’s just now, ‘That women wore yoga pants, and I lusted.'”

Center Stage on Netflix – This ballerina love story is one of my all time favorites. Center Stage was a well worn VHS in my house. I hadn’t watched it in years, but I still love Charlie, think Cooper is gross, and am in awe of the beauty that is ballet.

Shutter Island on Netflix – Leonardo DiCaprio is my favorite actor. There I said it. I’ve been wanting to watch this one for a while but I thought it was scary. Good news! It’s not! It’s amazing, though, because it’s Leo D, who is all around good at his job – so intense and committed – and Mark Ruffalo, who is just flawless. He has such a calm spirit while maintaining a strong presence. I’ve said before that I must be a movie maker/author’s dream because I am right in the story until the very end and surprise endings get me EVERY TIME. I’ve never said, “Oh, I saw that coming.” This movie was no exception. The ending THREW me!

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen on Netflix – You know, sometimes you just need something silly.